


When Life Sucks A Little Less

by Kurokosou



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Idk what i'm doing, Mostly Fluff, They're All Adults Now, may have some angst later, slow burn - maybe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-01-27 20:45:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12590192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurokosou/pseuds/Kurokosou
Summary: Shiro wouldn't say his life is in a bad place, per say - he just happened to have an unlucky day, running a high fever, getting scolded by his supervisor to go home and rest and then passing out in the middle of the sidewalk before he could even get home. Fortunately the Gods seemed to have mercy on him and sent an angel (or two) to help him out, but why is he being called a cat all the time?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything seriously in years... this is probably gonna suck, but I hope you all enjoy it either way!

Life sucked.

That’s all there really was to it. Sure when you’re a kid everything seems so magical and fantastical; it was easy to get lost in fairytale ideas that the world would be all rainbows and sunshine – not this dreary and harsh existence that was adulthood. A sigh passed through the weary man’s lips, squinting against the blaring afternoon sun beating down on him. Another sigh escaped him, trying to ignore the aching pain ridding through his whole body and the sweat slowly trickling down his forehead. He was sick – he knew it, everyone who passed by him knew and it was the very reason why he was forced to head home and rest, instead of working on his project.

Shiro sighed yet again, dragging his feet as he tried to fight through the fever, the heavy feeling weighing his body down. He really should be back at the office working on his project; the deadline was soon and he wanted it out of the way so he could relax for a little, but – his supervisor, Allura, would have none of it. He shuddered a little – she was a kind woman usually, but boy if you crossed her temper, you’d wished the earth would swallow you whole just so you could avoid suffering her wrath.

_That woman is really terrifying…_ Shiro thought to himself. Having noticed that he was sluggish and looking a little flushed, Allura had insisted Shiro head home to rest and recover despite it still being midday. He had tried to argue he was well enough to work, only to be stared down by her piercing azure eyes, her fine brows furrowing in silent fury; he couldn’t say anything more and meekly packed up his stuff and left for home. He knew better than to get into a staring contest with the woman. His knees suddenly gave out beneath him, slowly sliding to the ground as he lost his balance; it was getting harder to move, finding he couldn’t push himself back up to standing position. _Shit…_ he cursed in his head, slumping against the wall; maybe he should’ve stayed home this morning – or at least taken some kind of medicine to help with the fever before leaving for work.

_Well this is a pathetic way to die._ He couldn’t help but laugh a little at the situation, completely giving up on commanding his body to move. Maybe in the next hour or so, he’d be able to move again or maybe he would surprise himself and his body would automatically head back to his apartment once he blacked out. He laughed again at the thought – the fever was starting to get to him if he was thinking of ridiculous things like _that_.

“Dad! Dad! I found a cat!” a small voice suddenly called out. Shiro didn’t turn his head to the sound; more like, he couldn’t, hearing a soft patter of footsteps coming up from behind him.

“T-that - that’s not’s a cat!” a deeper, and definitely more matured voice answered. A hand was suddenly on Shiro’s shoulder, simply shifting his eyes to the side as another presence knelt down beside him. He couldn’t see the other person’s face, everything was blurry and fading quick as the exhaustion from the fever took over. He could hear them speaking, but the words just sounded like a garbled mess to him before everything just simply went black.

~*~

It hurt – everything was on fire, it seemed, the dull ache from earlier having become a full on throbbing presence in his head. Shiro let out a small groan, slowly opening his eyes and regretting it in the next second as a bright light greeted him. He tried to recall what had happened, but his mind was drawing a blank; he couldn’t even tell up from down and he sure as hell wasn’t going to open his eyes again to find out. He flinched a little as something cool and wet was placed across his forehead, giving a little relief from the heat that seemed to be wrecking his body. He decided to risk it, very, very slowly opening his eyes to see a vague silhouette hovering aside of him.

“Oh! Sorry – I didn’t mean to wake you up,” the figure said. Shiro blinked a few times, trying to clear up his vision to no avail, feeling the cool cloth from before gently wiping across his forehead, down the one side of his face and then the other. He tried to speak, but his throat felt dry so all that came out was a coarse squeak. “Hang on, I’ll get you some water.” The coldness of the cloth disappeared, watching the figure move away from him. Shiro took this opportunity to figure out his surroundings; he at least managed to figure out he was lying down flat on his back, but other than that he couldn’t make out the details of the room.

“Hey, can you sit up?” the mystery person returned. Shiro moved to bend his elbows, trying to prop himself up to a somewhat upright position. He jumped a little at the hand suddenly cradling the back of his head, feeling the cold brim of a glass cup being pressed up against his lips. He gulped down the icy water gratefully, letting out a gasp of relief once the cup was pulled away; he felt himself being laid back down against the pillow, the hand on his head slowly sliding away as he settled back to a lying position. The water and the wet cloth seemed to help, his vision finally clearing up enough that could finally see the face of his current care taker. Clearly now it was a man with brown curly hair, and a very concerned look on his face. Shiro opened his mouth to speak, but the man shook his head, quietly shushing him as he placed the wet cloth across his forehead again.

“Just get some sleep, okay? We can talk things out in a few hours,” the man simply said. Shiro didn’t question it, his eyelids suddenly feeling heavy as he let them fall shut. He didn’t feel like fighting off the new wave of sleepiness and frankly – this bed was really comfortable right now.

~*~

The next time he opened his eyes, the light wasn’t as blaring as the first, blinking a few times to adjust to it; the pain in his head was significantly less than before and he could at least feel his fingertips this time. Shiro moaned, reaching a hand to gently rub his temple – the pain wasn’t completely gone, but at least he could hear himself think. He propped himself up on his elbows, testing to see if he could sit up without the pain intensifying when he did; so far he felt able to sit up right, straightening up the rest of the way as he reached a hand to rub his neck. Definitely an improvement in his condition since a few hours ago; Shiro sat in a daze for a good five minutes before it registered to him that he wasn’t alone in this room. His eyes looked to the little girl sitting in a poof – a pouf? – chair, chin in her hands and gazing at him with a curious smile. Shiro nearly fell out from the other side of the bed as he let out a startled yelp.

“Hi!” the little girl greeted, flashing him a wide smile and seeming unfazed by his reaction. Shiro only blinked.

“Uh, hello…?” he answered back hesitantly. Obviously this was not his bed and most definitely this was not his apartment. The curly-haired girl slid off from the pouf, turning to the door as she called out.

“Maaaatt! He’s awake!”

“Okay, coming in just a sec!” a voice from outside the room answered. A man with flyaway red hair walked into the room, waving a hand in a short greeting as he smiled at the two. Shiro only looked at him in confusion; this wasn’t the same man from before – he didn’t imagine the other in his fever induced state, did he? The redhead talking snapped him out of his confusion, looking up at the man as he came up to the side of the bed.

“Hey, feeling better? You had a pretty high fever, but seems like it finally went down,” this man, Matt, explained, seating himself down on the pouf the girl had previously occupied. There was a minute or two of awkward silence before the whole situation finally dawned on Shiro, quickly bowing his head down to avoid eye contact with the pair.

“I – I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to trouble you and your – daughter,” he apologized. There was a brief pause between them, before Matt suddenly laughed, holding a hand up in the air.

“Oh! No, no, no she’s not mine – I’m just the babysitter while Lance is at work,” Matt clarified.

“Lance?”

“That would be her father and the guy who found you passed out on the curb,” the redhead answered as a matter of factly. Shiro silently groaned as he buried his face into his hands; this was easily turning into the worse day of his life. He took a peek through his fingers, staring at the pair as they blinked at him with confused looks; now that he was actually paying attention, the little girl definitely didn’t resemble Matt in the slightest. Her skin was darker and so was her hair, which was curling up in all directions, the little blue bow clip clearly there for decoration than keeping strands in place; her dark blue eyes were looking up at him with a strange wonderment and curiosity. Shiro glanced away to the corner, trying to recall the other man’s features – he could remember the slightly curly hair and the distinct slope of worried eyebrows, but other than that it was a blur.

“I know you’re probably not hungry, but Lance insisted that once you were awake, you eat and take some medication, sooo…” Matt got up from the pouf and quickly walked out of the room. It was several minutes before he returned, tray in his hands with a small bowl and a cup of water on it; he set it down on the end table next to the bed, Shiro peering curiously at the bowl to see some kind of creamy, white substance that could only be porridge.

“Don’t worry – it’s a lot lighter than it looks,” Matt assured him, as if he’s had this before. Shiro felt his stomach flip a little, unsure if he could really keep any kind solid matter down, but the determined look on the redhead’s face told him he wouldn’t have much choice. He sighed and resigned to his fate, holding his hands out to take the bowl being handed to him; he held the first spoonful up apprehensively, trying not to think of the queasiness in his stomach as he opened his mouth and shoved the porridge into it. He told himself to swallow, expecting it to get stuck in his throat but surprisingly, he hardly felt it slide down; even more surprising was that the sweet taste of it didn’t bother him.

“This – is actually pretty good,” he said absently.

“Dad makes the best porridge!” the girl piped, flashing the biggest and proudest smile Shiro has ever seen. He couldn’t help but chuckle a little at how proud this child was over her father’s cooking. The next spoonful went down just as easily as the first, and so did the one after that and the one after that; he was surprised when he found the bowl finished, setting the spoon down before handing off the empty bowl. Matt handed him some pills and the glass of water, Shiro popping the pills into his mouth before taking a sip to wash them down. The pills didn’t go down as easily as the porridge and he had to actually stop himself from gagging a little and spilling water all over the place. He sat still for a moment, willing his body to ignore the queasiness in his stomach before letting out a breath; he finished off the rest of the glass, placing it on the end table once it was empty.

“Alright then – Lance said you’re welcome to sleep on if you’re still feeling tired,” Matt relayed. “He doesn’t mind and he should be off-shift in another hour or so.” He began cleaning up the dishes, and taking the tray out of the room. Shiro shook his head, moving to pull the sheets away as he placed his feet on the floor.

“No, I’m actually feeling much better so I should probably head back to my own home,” Shiro answered. He felt he had already imposed enough trouble and his rescuer wasn’t even home! Matt frowned, not really sure if he believed the other man, but seeing Shiro stand up with ease and stay steady on his feet, he guessed it should be alright.

“Well, we could escort you back? I’d feel bad if you collapsed again… annnnd I’d never hear the end of it if Lance finds out,” Matt added with a nervous laugh. Shiro only raised a brow – clearly this Lance fellow was a force to be reckon with; he only shook his head, giving the redhead a small smile.

“Thanks, but I think I can manage now,” he assured. He followed Matt out of the room, the little girl tailing behind with a slight bounce in her step. Shiro smiled down at her, wondering if it would be appropriate to pat her head or not; he decided to do just that, seeing the girl’s face instantly light up as she giggled. He laughed along with her, before glancing around the apartment easily finding his suit jacket and briefcase hanging on a rack near what he assumed was the front door. He also spotted his shoes in the entrance way, heading over so he could put them back on, grab his jacket and case and be on his way. A tug at this sleeve diverted his attention, looking down to the curly hair girl giving him a sad look.

“You’re going already?” she asked, a slight whine in her voice. Shiro bit his lip before giving her a small smile.

“Yeah, sorry but I should be getting home,” he replied. He reached out to pat her on the head again, getting a puzzled looked from her. “Tell your dad that his porridge was delicious for me?”

“I will!” a smile instantly appeared on her face as she nodded her head vigorously. Matt came up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder as he saw Shiro out the door, offering one last time to escort him back but once again refused. Seeing as the other wouldn’t change his mind, Matt had no choice and just smiled and waved, wishing him luck and safety for getting home in one piece.

“Bye mister Gato!” the little girl waved. Matt snorted, putting a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing as Shiro only gave them a puzzled look. The redhead didn’t say anything, still trying to not to laugh out loud; Shiro only frowned but decided to shrug it off, waving back to the girl before heading on his way. Once he was outside, he noticed that the sky had already become dark, the faint orange hue of the sunset fading in the distant horizon. He hadn’t realized he had been out for that long, but then again – his fever had been pretty bad. He glanced up and down the area trying to get an idea of where he was; he actually recognized this place a little. He walked a little ways down to the right and eventually came across a street sign, reading the name printed on the plate. His apartment complex was only a few blocks away from here.

_Geeze, I was this close to home and I didn’t even make it…_ He sighed, shoulders slumping a little in shame before he straightened up and continued on walking. There was no point dwelling on the past now, no matter how embarrassing it had been; at least he had been fortunate enough that this Lance and his daughter were kind enough to pick an unconscious stranger off the streets. Shiro made a small noise as a sudden realization hit him – he never did get the little girl’s name. He felt a little bad, but shook his head – there was no point in worrying about it since it was unlikely he’d see her and her father again. Though speaking of which – he couldn’t help but wonder about what she had called him and Matt’s reaction to it. Gato – that was Spanish, wasn’t it; Shiro was a little rusty since it’s been a while since he had studied and used it, but he felt like he should know that word.

It wasn’t until he had physically walked through his front door and a distinct meowing sound greeted him that it finally clicked in his brain. Cat – it meant cat! Shiro blinked, furrowing his brows in thought as he turned this revelation over; why would she call him a cat? The persistent meowing and rubbing against his leg brought him out of his thoughts, looking down to the black cat trying to get his attention. He smiled, bending down to pick up the sleek creature and hold her in his arms; well maybe the girl wasn’t too far off with that nickname.

“Sorry for ignoring you, girl,” he cooed. The feline purred happily in his arms, rubbing her head along the bottom of his chin as if to say she forgave him. “Yes, yes I’m home.” He laughed, giving the cat a quick scratch under the chin before putting her back down the floor. She started meowing again, dancing around his feet as Shiro pulled off his shoes, trying to cross the threshold without tripping over her in the process. “Yes, I know, I know – it’s dinner time, right Yuki?”

As if to answer him, Yuki meowed very loudly, already trotting towards the kitchen to wait by her empty food bowl, watching him with her big yellow eyes. Shiro chuckled, bending down to open the lower cupboard where her food was kept, pulling the bag out as he fished out a cup of dried kibble to pour into her bowl. He could feel her eyes watching him, observing every movement as the kibble made a light clunking sound in the bowl; once he had put the bag back into the cupboard and stood up to wash his hands, only then did Yuki move from her spot to eat her food. Shiro watched her for a minute or two before moving to leave the kitchen, making a beeline for his bedroom to change into something a little more comfortable than his work clothes.

He wrinkled his nose as he tried to peel off his shirt, the fabric sticking to his skin slightly; he hadn’t realized how much he had sweated due to the fever. He debated about a quick shower, staring between the all too tempting bed and the door leading to the bathroom connected to his room. A shower was definitely sorely needed he decided, heading to the closet to pull out a fresh change of clothes, carelessly discarding his current attire to the floor; he’d worry about it later. He turned the water on, letting it warm up for a few minutes, turning to the medicine cabinet to pull out a thermometer – might as well check his temperature real quick before the hot shower threw off the reading. He stood there waiting for the device in his mouth to beep, holding it up to see the numbers flashing across the tiny screen.

101 degrees.

That wasn’t so bad, considering his fever had probably been a lot higher when the day started. He rinsed the tip of the thermometer, put it back in its case and then hopped into the shower. The warm spray of water was a relief, the steam helping to clear his head a little as he washed away the sweat from his body. Definitely feeling far better than he had all day, he quickly dried himself off, dressed and then headed back out to the bedroom, plopping down on the bed in a tired heap. It felt good to finally be off his feet, making a sluggish effort to crawl under the covers and find a comfortable position to doze off in. Tomorrow he should be well enough to work and finish up his project for the week; he laughed a little, already imagining Allura’s face when he’d show up in the morning. Hopefully he would look healthy enough to convince her he was completely recovered, but maybe that was wishful thinking on his part.

As he drifted off into slumber, his mind started to wander back to the man and his daughter who saved him; he really wished he could remember the man’s face more clearly. The more he tried, the vaguer it just seemed to become; a soft sigh escaped him. Maybe he should’ve stayed till Lance came back home – he didn’t even get a chance to thank him properly for help. Shiro shook the thoughts away for now, his weary mind wanting nothing more to do than rest; he’ll try looking for them again another day and thank them properly, as well as apologise for the trouble had cause the pair.


	2. Chapter 2

“ _What are you doing at your desk?!_ ”

A dead silence hung in the air, the other employees of the department hiding away in their own cubical spaces as only the clicking of keyboard keys filled the gaps. It was not that her voice was loud or that she had shouted, but there was just something of her tone, her entire presence that command attention; it was because she had this natural quality that made her the supervisor for this department. Shiro didn’t dare look away from his computer screen, trying to hide his nerves behind a smile as Allura glared down over his shoulder.

“I’m – working?” he answered sheepishly. He was afraid to turn and face her for fear that those cold azure eyes of hers would burn right through him.

“You should be at home resting! You haven’t completely recovered from your fever, have you?” Allura nagged. Shiro swallowed a breath, finally turning to gaze up at the woman towering over him, arms crossed and looking far more intimidating from where he was sitting.

“I have! It’s just a very, very – _very_ mild fever now; I’m fine, really!” Shiro tried to assure.

“It’s because you pushed yourself so hard that you got it in the first place!” Allura huffed. She only joined the company a few years ago, and had been in this department for a year, but she could already see the kind of person Shiro was. He was dedicated and hard-working for sure, but he was also a perfectionist and had a tendency to obsess with the little details. She had made it her personal agenda to watch out for him and make sure he wouldn’t work himself sick – like now for instance.

“Really Ms. Allura, I’m fine. I just want to finish up this project and then I swear I’ll –” he didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. A hand slammed down on his desk, making him jump in his seat as Allura’s angry face came into view. Shiro gulped, too afraid to even breathe as the woman stared him down.

“Now you listen here Mister Takashi Shirogane – you’re going to save what you have, shut this computer down and head straight home to relax. Do you understand?” Her voice was soft and steady, but he could still hear the fury lacing every word, meekly nodding his head as he swallowed the breath he had been holding.

“Y-yes ma’am…” the words came out as a small squeak. Satisfied that her lecture was received, Allura straightened up and a cheery smile was back on her face, making her rounds around the office to see if anything needed her attention. Shiro could only sit in utter amazement at how quickly that woman could switch moods, letting out a sigh as he moved to save what progress he had made before she showed up and shut down his computer. As he got up and headed towards the door, he got a few silent gestures and sympathetic looks from his co-workers, all of them giving him a ‘get well soon’ vibe. He just simply waved to them before heading out the door and towards the elevator to leave the building.

The sun hadn’t even reached midday yet and already he had been kicked out from work; there had to be some kind of union laws or something about this. Another sigh passed through his lips; might as well get some errands done before he headed home. He ran a quick mental list through his head, his feet already moving as he figured out what he needed and where to get them. Along the route he just happened to pass by a bustling café, stopping a moment to peek in through the window; it didn’t seem to be too busy and oh that muffin one of the patrons had did look pretty good. A slight grumble in his stomach seemed to agree with that thought; he hadn’t really eaten much for breakfast beyond a slice of toast, some headache medicine and one cup of coffee.

 _At least Ms. Allura doesn’t know about my eating habits…_ That thought alone sent a chill down Shiro’s spine; it was bad enough the woman was always nagging him to rest, he didn’t need her beating down on him about a proper diet as well. A light brush against his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts, realizing he had been standing in the middle of the sidewalk a bit too long, moving to head to the door of the café. The fresh smell of just brewed coffee instantly filled his nose, a sense of relaxation already washing over him. There was just something about the bitter scent of coffee that just took his troubles away; a small ‘excuse me’ from behind him reminded him that he was blocking the doorway, making his way over to the counter to place an order.

“Good day! Welcome to – to Paradise Hearts,” the barista greeted. There was an awkward pause with that greeting, but Shiro didn’t really give it much thought, placing his order.

“Regular black coffee please – oh and a blueberry muffin,” he added, reaching into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out cash to pay for the order. The barista seemed to fumble a little with the exchange, but Shiro just chalked it up to nerves.

“Please wait aside for your order, sir,” the barista waved a hand to the side counter. Shiro thanked the man before standing aside to allow other customers lined up behind him to place their orders. While he was waiting for his order to be processed, Shiro glanced around the dimly lit space, scoping out an empty table where he could sit and enjoy his coffee and muffin. He spotted an available spot near the back corner, hoping it would still be open once he got his order; he looked back at the counter, watching the café employees navigate around each other with practised ease in such a small work space. Dark grey eyes fell to the man who had taken his order, suddenly finding his gaze transfixed on him; there was something oddly – familiar about him. Saying he was tall would be a slight understatement – the man almost looked giant compared to his co-workers and the customers coming up to the counter; the friendly smile on his face was warm and inviting, a hand brushing brown curls away from his eyes as he interacted with the patrons.

 _…wait…_ The thought crossed through Shiro’s mind, straightening up his posture when the curly haired man turned, a cup and plate in hand as placed the items in front of Shiro on the counter. There was something familiar about the dark blue eyes that glanced at him briefly, before they quickly shifted away from him. Before anything could be said between them, a sudden tugging on his arm averted Shiro’s attention, glancing down to see a very familiar smiling face of a curly-haired girl staring up at him.

“Hi mister Gato!”

_Yup…_

“C-Charlotte!” the man behind the counter sputtered, quickly darting around to the girl’s side and putting a hand over her mouth. “I – I am _so_ sorry!” he quickly apologised, a small blush on his face as he gave Shiro a nervous glance. Shiro stifled a chuckle, giving them both a friendly smile.

“It’s fine – so you must be Lance then?” he asked, holding a hand out mostly because of habit and because it was just general politeness. Lance seemed both confused and mortified at the gesture, hesitantly taking the hand held out to him, staring down at the floor as the colour on his cheeks darkened.

“Um, yeah – Lance McClain and this is my daughter, Charlotte,” he introduced, finally letting his other hand slide away from the girl’s mouth. Charlotte only grinned up at him, Lance rolling his eyes at the grin before she turned her attention to Shiro.

“Nice to meet you again, mister Gato!”

“Please don’t call him that…” Lance groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Shiro had to laugh, reaching to grab his order when he realised they were kind of blocking the way for the other patrons. He motioned to the still empty table in the corner, Lance seeming to pick up on the notion before gently nudging his daughter in the general direction.

“I really don’t mind – and she’s not wrong, exactly. I do have a cat,” Shiro explained. The shimmer that lit up in the girl’s dark blue eyes was endearing that it took half of his willpower not to laugh.

“Really? What kind of cat is it?” she asked enthusiastically, ignoring her father’s nags as she climbed into the empty seat across from Shiro’s.

“She’s just an ordinary black cat; I have a picture on my phone if you want to see?” he offered, setting his cup and plate down before reaching into his back pocket. He swiped through his photo gallery, looking for the album that was specifically dedicated to Yuki, handing the phone to Charlotte to show off his little fur baby.

“Aww she’s so cute!” the little girl exclaimed, taking the phone with both hands and scrolling through the album.

“Yeah, she is a little cutie,” Shiro agreed. With Charlotte occupied with cute cat pictures, he turned his attention to her father, who was looking very embarrassed with the whole situation, a hand covering his face to hide the blush still staining his cheeks.

“I’m really sorry about this, sir…” Lance muttered.

“Please, call me Shiro – and its fine, really,” Shiro assured, flashing a friendly smile at the other man. It was returned with a shy one, Lance clearing his throat as he reached over to take the phone from his daughter’s hands, handing it back to its original owner.

“Come on, sweetie – you know you shouldn’t bother the customers.”

“But I wanna see more kitty pictures!” Charlotte whined, refusing to move from the seat. Lance stood firm though, giving her a nagging look as he tried to budge her from the chair.

“I don’t mind if she sits with me,” Shiro offered, holding his phone back out to the little girl.

“I don’t want to trouble you…” Lance said hesitantly.

“I’d enjoy the company; besides think of it as repaying the favour for helping me yesterday,” Shiro replied. The man seemed reluctant, opening his mouth again to try and argue otherwise, but another voice boomed above the loud chatter of the busy café, making Lance and everyone else jump out of their skins.

“ _McClain! Back at the counter, now!_ ”

Lance squeaked, before turning on his heels to head back to the counter, calling back a quick ‘yes sir’ as he scurried away. Shiro only blinked, glancing to Charlotte who mirrored his expression, the two just simply staring at each other before they burst out laughing. Once they’ve settled down, Charlotte continued to scroll through all the cat pictures on Shiro’s phone, asking all sorts of questions – how old was his cat, how long did he have them for, what was their name. Shiro answered them all with equal enthusiasm, idly picking away at his muffin in between words and taking a sip or two from his coffee.

“Her name is Yuki and she’s been with me for about two years now.”

“Yuki?”

“It means ‘snow’ in Japanese,” he explained. The face Charlotte gave him made Shiro laugh, already seeing her exact train of thought at this bit of information. “I know I named a black cat ‘snow’.” He knew it was weird and he was used to getting strange looks every time he talked about his cat, but it was the first thing that popped into his head the moment he first saw the beautiful creature. He showed off some of the funny videos he took of Yuki, the two of them giggling over all the cute and silly things cats do. They spent the first hour or so talking about cats and then various other fuzzy animals, and then the conversations started to diverge into whatever floated into the dark-haired girl’s mind.

Shiro hadn’t even realised just how much time had passed till he took one last sip from his cup, the slimmer of dark liquid at the bottom was cold and very unpleasant on his tongue. He glanced down at his phone, checking the time to see it was nearly past 12:30 noon; did he really just spend over two hours talking with a six-year old girl?

“Okay I’m finally done; shall we go get some lunch, Lottie?” Lance asked, approaching the table. Charlotte pouted up at her father, both for the nickname and the fact she had to stop talking with Shiro. Lance reached out to ruffle the already messy curls on her head, earning a squeal as she tried to bat his hand away. The corners of Shiro’s mouth tugged up into a smile, getting up from his seat as he put himself together; Charlotte slid off the chair, taking her father’s hand as they made their way towards the exit of the café. Shiro followed shortly behind them, squinting at the bright sunlight as he stepped out into the open; the lighting had been dim in the café, so it took a few minutes before his eyes adjusted.

“I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to saddle you with my daughter for so long,” Lance apologised again, a hand rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided making eye contact with the other man. Shiro only smiled, holding a hand out to Lance.

“Actually, I had fun – Charlotte was very pleasant company,” he reassured. “And I want to thank you for yesterday. I know I caused you a lot of trouble, but you really saved my life.”

Lance finally looked up at him in surprise, glancing down at the hand held out to him and then back up to Shiro’s face. A shy smile found its way to Lance’s face, reaching out to shake his hand.

“It was nothing – I’m glad you seem to be doing better.”

“I really wish there was a way to repay you…” Shiro began. The brunet immediately pulled his hand out of Shiro’s, holding it up as he shook his head.

“You don’t have to, I mean – I appreciate you keeping my daughter company while I was working, but you don’t have to go out of your way for us,” Lance quickly said. The tugging on his hand and a small ‘I’m hungry’ whine from his daughter was a welcomed distraction, softly telling Charlotte they would be going before turning to Shiro to wish him a good day. Shiro resisted the urge to press the matter, simply smiling and waving as the father-daughter pair began walking in the opposite direction.

“Bye mister Shiro! See you later!”

Both men froze at the bold claim from the little girl, looking at each other as an awkward air hung between them. Lance opened his mouth, but he was unsure of how to explain to his daughter that they were unlikely to see Shiro again without hurting her feelings. Shiro rolled the words in his head, seeing the dilemma unfold before him; he took a few steps towards them, closing the small gap as he leaned down so Charlotte could see the genuine smile clear on his face as he spoke.

“See you later then – Lottie.”

The little brunette huffed, her nose scrunching up as she pouted making Shiro laugh; seems like she really hated that nickname. He straightened himself up, peering over at Lance with a sheepish smile; the poor man looked ready to die on the spot, practically red to his ears. “If – that’s okay with you, Mr. McClain?”

“Just L-Lance, p-please… calling me _that_ makes me sound like my father…” Lance requested, leaning in a little closer to whisper. “You don’t have to do this…”

“I want to – I owe you after all,” Shiro whispered back. There was clear hesitation as Lance bit his lower lip before nodding his head; they spent a few minutes exchanging their schedules to coordinate their timing. Shiro learned that Lance didn’t own a mobile phone, so exchanging numbers was out of the question, but he was usually at Paradise Hearts in the morning hours and then out by lunch hour – with the exception of Thursdays, where he worked the afternoon shift. Charlotte waited patiently for the adults to finish their conversation, swinging her father’s arm around before she started tugging on him again, saying she wanted to eat. Lance reached his free hand around to ruffle her hair, saying they would be going now; he gave Shiro a timid smile as they departed, saying they’d see him later then.

Shiro nodded, watching the pair head off once again in the other direction, standing there for a minute or two before he got moving himself. He still had errands to run and things to pick up before he headed for home. It wasn’t until ten minutes later, just before he reached his first stop that the whole scene finally dawned on him and what he had just gotten himself into. Did he really just agreed to meet up with, who he was now assuming, a single father and his daughter – two complete strangers who just happened to pick him up off the curb, who by coincidence he just happened to bump into again. His shoulders started to shake, trying to hold in the sudden laughter bubbling in his chest before he let it out.

He earned a few stares and some eye-rolls at his sudden outburst, a few people even going so far as to cross the street just to avoid walking past him. It took a few minutes for Shiro to calm himself, clearing his throat as he continued on with his tasks; he really must still have his fever, he reckoned. He’s never done anything so spontaneous or so random before in his life – well, maybe not never, ever, but this still took the cake when it came to things he never thought he’d do. He wondered what force drove him to make such a spur of the moment decision; maybe he didn’t want to break the heart of a little girl who seemed to have fun talking to him; or maybe he really did just want to repay Lance in some form for the help. His thoughts paused at the other man.

There wasn’t really an explanation, but something about the man just drew Shiro in. Perhaps it was the bold way Lance just took an obviously sick stranger into his home like it was normal; or the way he acted all embarrassed and mortified at his daughter calling said stranger a ‘cat’; or the way he’d avoid staring at you when he seemed nervous. Shiro rubbed his chin, suddenly aware of a weird giddiness fluttering in his stomach; Lance told him only worked weekdays and since tomorrow was the start of the weekend, he likely wouldn’t see them till Monday.

 _Oh geeze, don’t tell me I’m actually looking forward to this!_ He smiled in spite of himself; he hadn’t felt like this since he was a kid, and on the rare occasions he was allowed to sleep over at his friend’s house. He hardly even knew Lance and Charlotte, but maybe – maybe the next meeting would change all that; Shiro surprised himself at the thought. Did he really want to know them better? He quickly shook the thoughts from his head; he was thinking too far in the future, these kinds of situations it was best just to let things flow and see where it went, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, random but forgot to mention that Shiro still has both his arms, so no fancy prosthetic for him... also Shiro would totally be that person - you know the one that takes an ungodly amount of photos and videos of their fur babies (I know I'm that person...)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh, yeeeeah this has been sitting forever now, hasn't it. Starting a job has a tendency to zap away free time doesn't it; that and of course it doesn't help that have like 20 ideas buzzing around my head (some are already on paper, but most are still in my head...) But anyways - don't know how often I'll get to updating or writing soooo apologises...

Early morning crowds were always the worst – always. Most folks were typically grouchy, half-asleep and probably wishing they were still in bed sleeping for another hour. Cranky college students and weary office grunts were the least fun to deal with and Lance hated it; well mostly he hated it when he had to deal with the impatient ones, whose sleep-induced brains didn’t seem to understand that it still takes five minutes to make their damn double shot of espresso. This morning was no different from the usual rush, but somehow he found he wasn’t as irritated like normal; in fact he was humming as he cleaned the counters.

“My, my – _someone’s_ in a good mood today~” a chirpy voice said near his ear. Lance jumped back, turning to see the mischievous grin plastered across the redheaded woman’s face.

“What? I can’t be in a good mood?” Lance questioned, raising a curious brow at his co-worker. The woman shrugged, turning to tend to her own tasks.

“Nothing wrong with that~” she practically sang. “You’re just not usually this happy in the morning,” she added, giving the man a not so subtle nudge in his side. Lance just rolled his eyes at her, answering back with a nudge of his own, moving to organize the condiments.

“I’m just feeling really good today – that’s all Ezor,” he casually answered. Ezor hummed playfully, putting a finger to her chin as she observed Lance for a minute or two; a devious smile spread across her face as she leaned in closer to speak in his ear.

“Does this have anything to do with that handsome fellow you met last week~”

“W-what? NO!” Lance practically shouted, turning red in the face. Ezor laughed, gently poking at his flushed cheeks as she continued to tease him.

“Aww, you’re blushing~ you _sooo_ have a crush on this guy~”

“Seriously, you’re doing this _now_?” Lance groaned, swatting the redhead’s hand away from his face as she laughed.

“Oh come on, Lancey-Lance~ just because you have a daughter, doesn’t mean you’re forbidden from dating~” Lance only glared at her, quietly hissing out some curse or other in Spanish; Ezor just laughed, turning her attention to the customer impatiently tapping their fingers against the counter. Although the café wasn’t as busy as the initial opening hours, they still got a few stragglers wandering in for their daily caffeine fix and maybe a mid-morning snack to go with it. Lance relieved for the distraction, working on fulfilling the order while Ezor rang up the prices; of course this reprieve didn’t last long once the customer’s order was done and there was no one next in line to keep the woman from teasing him again.

“So, are you gonna ask him on a date~?” Ezor questioned, her bright-blue eyes giving him a curious look.

“Of course not! I barely even know the guy!” Lance huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Besides, do you really think a guy like him is even into guys? I’d be surprised if he didn’t have a girlfriend already.”

“Tut, tut, you’re jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts, Lancey-Lance~” Ezor tsked, waggling her finger at him like a mother nagging her child. “Like you said, you don’t know him – yet~” she added with a slight smirk. Lance groaned, tilting his head back to stare up at the ceiling in exasperation.

“Are we really talking about this now…”

“Alright you two, gossip on your own time – right now it’s business hours,” a gruff voice spoke up from behind them. The two turned to the scruffy looking man standing behind them, Ezor giving a mock salute while Lance just sighed and nodded, both giving a small ‘sorry boss’ before getting back to work. Their boss only shook his head, before heading into the back to sort out the kitchen activities. A few minutes later, Lance felt a tugging on his sleeve, looking down at his daughter with a smile seeing a sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

“Is Mister Shiro here yet?” she asked, bouncing on her feet. Lance laughed, putting a hand on her head just to keep Charlotte still.

“We probably won’t see him for a while, sweetie,” he explained, seeing a pout form on the little brunette’s face. He reminded her to be patient, gently shooing her back to the breakroom, the little girl letting out a huff but still stomping off to the back where she’d be out of the way. Lance just shook his head before turning his attention back to the counter, even if there were no customers to tend to. He figured Shiro was probably back at work, having probably recovered from his fever by now, so it was likely the man would drop by during the rush hour. If he was even planning on dropping by today at all; even with this knowledge, Lance still caught himself idly gazing out the café windows, his breath hitched every time a dark-haired man in a business suit walked by. He cursed at his own behavior, trying to occupy himself with any mundane tasks – he was starting to wonder who was more excited, him or his daughter.

As the clock ticked closer to noon and the pace of customers began to increase, Lance was starting to feel anxious. What if Shiro only said he’d come by so Charlotte wouldn’t be heartbroken? It had been a rather spontaneous arrangement after all, and for all he knew, the fever could’ve been doing all the talking for Shiro and he wasn’t thinking straight. Lance quickly shook the thought from his head, trying to keep his mind positive; he had a tendency to overthink even the smallest of actions and Shiro really didn’t seem like a bad guy, and was earnest when he claimed he wanted to see them again.

Dark blue eyes peered over to the little girl hanging off the counter; Charlotte was just barely tall enough to see over the surface, arms folded across the smooth marble and a smile across her face. She was humming happily to herself, rocking on the balls of her feet as she watched the people weave in and out of the café. Lance bit his lip, pushing his hair behind his ear as he tried to focus on the task at hand; he wasn’t sure what he was going to do if Shiro indeed decided not to show up today. The sound of the café door scrapping open was barely heard over the lunch chatter, Lance holding his breath subconsciously as Ezor’s cheery voice greeted the customer.

“Good afternoon! Welcome to Paradise Hearts!”

He looked up and the anxiety seemed to float away as he recognized the dark-haired man walking in, a hand reaching up to brush his fingers through the small tuff of black hair hanging in his face. Lance felt a different kind of anxiety start up as dark grey locked with blue; it felt like time had suddenly stopped for the two men. Fortunately this was broken by Charlotte calling out to Shiro, already ducking out under the service flank and half-running up to the man, a wide grin taking up half her face.

“Hi Mister Shiro!” she beamed, holding her hand out to him. Shiro gave the girl a sheepish smile, trying not to laugh out loud as she shook his hand up and down vigorously.

“Hello Charlotte, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” he greeted, seeing the girl shake her head before she started dragging him over to the counter. Lance gave Ezor a gentle tap on the back, silently asking her to handle his current order; he received a nod and an impish smile from the redhead, ignoring the latter as he made his way over to the side counter. Charlotte was already chatting Shiro’s ear off by the time they got there, but he didn’t seem to mind, only smiling as her mouth went off a mile a minute. Lance cleared his throat to grab their attention, Shiro glancing over at him as he straightening himself up, giving the man an awkward smile.

“I, um – hello,” he greeted sheepishly.

“Hey…” Lance greeted back, hoping his voice wouldn’t betray him and give away just how nervous he was. Ezor’s teasing from earlier wasn’t helping either. “I – I’m surprised you came by…”

“Well I said I would,” Shiro answered, giving him a puzzled look. Lance reached a hand to rub the back of his neck, trying not to bite down on his lower lip as he glanced to the side.

“I just thought – I mean…” he paused, taking a moment to catch his breath before looking back at Shiro, giving him a small smile. “Um, do you want anything? To eat or drink, I mean…” he asked, trying to put on his service face. He was half-expecting his boss to pop out of nowhere and scold him on proper ordering processes or something. Shiro hesitated a moment, a sudden nervous smile on his face as he looked away from Lance.

“Actually, I was wondering if it would be okay to have lunch together. That is – if it’s okay with you! I just thought it would be easier to talk…” he suggested, flustering a little as shifted his weight. Lance only gaped, completely caught off-guard by the suggestion that he found it difficult to articulate a coherent reply. Thankfully he didn’t have to as Charlotte spoke up for him, hanging on to the counter as she bounced on the spot.

“Can he join us for lunch? Please dad!” she pleaded, her eyes wide with excitement. Lance had to laugh, coming back to his senses as he reached a hand over the counter to pet her head. He was surprised at how quickly his daughter had come to like this man in such a short time.

“Okay, okay we can all go for lunch once I’m done with work,” he promised. The curly-haired girl squealed, grabbing Shiro’s hand and immediately dragged him off to an empty table before anything else could be said. Lance mutter a quick, small apology, saying he’d be off in 30 minutes give or take; Shiro just smiled and gave a small nod before letting himself get whisked away by the six-year old. Lance sighed, turning back to his work before his boss could yell at him again. The remaining time of his shift was busy, as expected with the rush crowd, but soon enough the next employee was walking through the doors, clocking in with their boss before finally relieving Lance from the counter.

He headed into the breakroom, pulling off his apron to hang up and then to the mini-lockers to grab his wallet. He clocked out with his boss, bidding a good day to him and the other employees before heading out to get his daughter and their – guest, so they could get some lunch. Lance approached the table with a curious glance; Charlotte was giggling uncontrollably and Shiro looked oddly embarrassed. The curiosity was furthered fueled as he caught the tail end of whatever story the dark-haired man seemed to be sharing with the girl.

“That’s so gross!” Charlotte exclaimed in between her giggles.

“Yeah – I had goo stuck in my hair for a week! But it was still fun,” Shiro agreed. Seeing as neither of them noticed Lance standing by the table, he cleared his throat to get their attentions, an amused smile on his face.

“Well you two seem to be having fun – I feel left out,” he teased. Charlotte whipped her head around to her father, reaching out to tug on his sleeve as she tried to retell the story Shiro just told her. Something about an office party gone wrong and a malfunctioning contraption that left everyone covered in green goop? Lance just chuckled, seeing Shiro scratching the back of his head as he just shrugged, saying it was a long story. Lance motioned for them to get going, already feeling his boss’ stern eyes at his back, silently badgering him that they were taking up space – space that should be for customers only. The motion seem to have caught on, Shiro getting up from the chair before making his way towards the exit; Charlotte took hold of her father’s hand and the two followed suit.

“So, uh, where do you two want to go?” Shiro asked once they were outside.

“We usually just go to the family restaurant around the corner,” Lance shrugged, casually gesturing down the street. “Charlotte’s kinda a picky eater, so we tend to stick to one place most of the time.”

“Daaad! You didn’t have to say that!” Charlotte whined, punching her father in the side making him flinch before she turned away to sulk. Both men just laughed, which made the girl sulk even more as she huffed and crossed her arms, giving them both a stern pout. Lance reached a hand around her shoulder, giving her a light bump with his hip, receiving another nudge from her elbow in response; Shiro just grinned at their interaction, trying to put on a straight face as he cleared his throat.

“That sounds good to me,” he said. He received a delightful smile from both father and daughter before the three of them made their way down the street. The trip was barely five minutes of walking, Charlotte’s chatter keeping it from being too quiet as she swung her dad’s hand with hers. The restaurant wasn’t too busy, fortunately, so they were able to get a table fairly quick, the waitress handing them some menus and asking for drinks, before walking away to tend to other customers. There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two men, both looking down at their respective menus as they decided on their own meals. Charlotte was occupied with her kids’ menu and thus had gone quiet as she mulled the choices in her head; without the girl’s chatter, both Lance and Shiro realised that they hadn’t even had a proper conversation just the two of them.

Shiro glanced up from his menu, stealing a quick peek to see that Lance seemed just as lost at what to do now as he did. He cleared his throat, getting the other’s attention, blue eyes snapping up to match his own. Shiro hesitated a moment, before holding his menu out, asking for any recommendations or favourites. Since this was his first time here, he had no idea what good or not; plus this would be a good chance to hopefully ease some of the stiffness between them, and conversations would flow a little easier for them. They couldn’t really rely on Charlotte to keep the topics flowing all the time, though Shiro suspected that this girl could talk for days if given the chance. Lance didn’t even get a chance to open his mouth before Charlotte was already listing off things she enjoyed at this place; Shiro stifled a laugh as Lance reached around to gently pinch her on the cheek.

“He was asking _me_ , not you!” Lance nagged, but Shiro could see the corners of his mouth threatening to turn up into a smile. Charlotte whined at the pinch, rubbing her cheek as she huffed, crossing her arms and sank down into her seat. Lance just rolled his eyes, asking if she had picked out her meal yet; she nodded, reaching her hand out to point to the item on the menu and then resumed her sulking. After taking note of what his daughter wanted, Lance turned his attention back to Shiro, placing the menu between them on the table so he could briefly describe the various meals that were offered.

The air between them finally felt relaxed, both men going over the menu as Lance pointed out what was good, what was mediocre and what to just flat out avoid. When they finally decided on what they wanted after five minutes of debate, Lance flagged down the waitress so they could relay their orders. Once all that was done and out of the way, they were left to their own devices till the food was served. Shiro noticed Charlotte had gone abnormally quiet – well, at least to him it seemed unusual considering her energy not too long ago. Lance assured him that it was just her way of throwing a tantrum, saying she was just being grumpy because she was hungry; Charlotte whined at that, Lance wincing as she kicked him in the leg, which earned her a sharp glare from him. Shiro cleared his throat, deciding to take the lead on a conversation, if only to distract the father and daughter from the silent war they seemed to be engaging in.

“So, uh – how long have you worked there? At the café?” he asked, reaching out for his glass of iced lemon water. Lance seemed to grateful for the distraction, for now content to let his daughter sit in her silent tantrum.

“I guess about a year or two now? I’ve been working there since it opened more or less,” Lance answered, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “It used to be just the one shop, but a couple more have opened up in the past year.”

“Is that right? Seems like quite a long time to be working in a café – er, not that there’s anything wrong with that!” Shiro quickly added, hoping he didn’t sound like he just questioned Lance’s choice of career. Lance only raised a thin brow at him, an amused smile coming to his face.

“It’s a pretty good place; Kolivan – ah, that’s my boss – isn’t so bad either. I mean, he kinda looks and acts like a bear sometimes, but he’s really just a big softie underneath,” Lance snickered. He remembered the first time he met Kolivan at his interview – he nearly turned around and walked right out the door at the sight of such a large, tough-looking man.

“Well, he does let your daughter hang around your work place?” Shiro questioned curiously.

“He’s got two ankle-biters of his own, so…” Lance shrugged, but a soft smile appeared on his face. The first time he had brought Charlotte to the café, Kolivan had been practically shadowing the girl, making sure she was safe and didn’t get too bored while Lance was working.

“Forgive me if I’m overstepping my bounds, but – it’s just you and Charlotte, correct?” Shiro asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if this was a comfortable topic for Lance, or if he was assuming too much about the other’s marital status.

“Yeah, it’s just the two of us,” Lance answered with a sad smile. “We were living with my cousin and her family, but her husband got a better job offer across the States, so they moved.”

“Why not move along with them? Er, I mean – I didn’t mean it in a bad way! I just thought – you’d rather be around family? I mean…” Shiro flustered a little, suddenly finding his glass of water very interesting. He heard Lance laugh a little, daring to look up at the man to see a cheery smile on his face.

“Dude, relax – I don’t mind talking about my single parenthood-ness,” Lance assured, reaching over to give Shiro a light tap on the shoulder. “As for why I didn’t move with her – it was my own choice. She insisted we come along, but she’s got three brats already and I had enough money to get my own place. Besides, I had pretty much already settled here; I wasn’t about to yank out the roots and start over again, you know?”

“Yeah, I think I can understand that,” Shiro nodded. He knew all too well how hard starting life over could be, leaving behind familiarity and old routines while trying to find new ones in a seemingly foreign place. He quickly dismissed the thoughts from his head, taking a sip from his glass; the past was the past as he always kept telling himself – there was no point in getting wrapped up in it, and he had long accepted that the only way to go was forward.

“Shiro, are you okay?” Lance’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Shiro blinked at the question, realising both father and daughter were staring at him, Charlotte looking confused while Lance seemed concerned. Shiro quickly cleared this throat, giving the pair a smile as he nodded.

“Sorry, just got a little lost in my thoughts for a moment,” he answered sheepishly.

“What were you thinking about?” Charlotte asked, genuinely curious as she tilted her head to the side.

“Oh, uh just work stuff,” Shiro replied as casually as he could. The answer seemed to satisfy both of them, seeing the concern on Lance’s face be replaced with his own curiosity.

“So what do you do for a living, Shiro?” Lance questioned, leaning forward on his elbows with a wide grin.

“I work for Altea Media Corporation in their design department,” Shiro answered smoothly. He tried not to laugh at the small choking noise that escaped Lance, the other clearly trying to hide his shock at the reply.

“You – you work at _Altea_?! I mean, wow that’s pretty impressive. Isn’t that place, like, super competitive?” Lance asked, sounding both amazed and surprised in the same tone. Shiro shifted his gaze to the side, fingers picking at the paper napkin under them.

“It is a very difficult company to get into, yes – the screening for applications alone is a pretty intensive process,” he nodded. He shifted his eyes back to Lance, worried about the kind of expression he would see on the other man’s face; it wasn’t always pleasant for Shiro when people found out where he worked. It was usually a mix between people trying to befriend him for the sake of the status quo or receiving snide comments about his “race”, although the latter was rarer. He was a little surprised to see Lance with a genuinely impressed smile.

“I can’t even imagine – you must’ve had to work your ass off to get to where you are now,” Lance said. Shiro blinked, mouth hanging open slightly as he took the words in; despite the blunt way the brunet said it, Shiro could hear the earnest in his voice, seeing a light of honesty in dark blue eyes. Most people assumed Shiro had used connections, or underhanded tricks to worm his way into Altea Media; and while it was true he had used a favour to get his foot through the door, everything else after that he been his own efforts. He had worked hard to earn his place in the company, pushing himself twice as hard to prove that he belonged there. It was – different to actually be acknowledged for it, especially from a complete stranger he had only met a few days ago.

“ _Daaad!_ You said a bad word!” Charlotte’s sudden gasp shook him from his thoughts, looking to the girl covering her mouth with her hands as she stared at her father with an offended look. Lance just rolled his eyes at her, giving his daughter a flat look.

“Don’t start with me, young lady. I know for a fact that Pidge has been teaching you far worse words,” he nagged. Shiro only raised a brow at the seemingly innocent face Charlotte was making, batting her eyelashes as she gave her father a cutesy smile. He had to stifle a laugh as Lance shook his head at the girl, telling her to stop acting cute since that face wouldn’t work on him. Charlotte pouted, letting out a huff as her shoulders visibly sagged. Their food came a few moments after, interrupting the conversations for a bit as the waitress set the plates down, wishing them all a good meal before heading off to tend to other tables.

The conversations picked up again after the first several bites, Charlotte of course being the initiator, while she picked apart the food on her plate. The topics went from work to hobbies, to favourite TV shows, to Shiro’s cat – really just anything that happened to float into the little girl’s head, while they enjoyed their meal. Sometimes it was effort for both men to keep up with the chatter from the curly-haired girl, but somehow they managed not to get too lost. Soon enough their empty plates were cleared away, Shiro waving down the waitress for the bill and offering to pay. Lance objected, saying that Shiro was their sort-of guest and shouldn’t have to.

“I really don’t mind, Lance – I owe you after all, since you literally saved my life,” Shiro insisted, not taking no for an answer as he already handed off his card to the waitress.

“And I said you didn’t have to go out of your way for us; I mean we’ve already dragged you away from your work long enough…” Lance argued hesitantly. He had taken a quick peek at his watch, realising that more than an hour has passed already, and he was pretty sure Shiro’s lunch break ended by now. Shiro simply waved him off, flashing the waitress a courteous smile as he signed off the bill, taking his card and the receipt copy and tucking them into his wallet.

“Please don’t worry about the time; actually you’re doing me a favour and helping me keep my supervisor off my case,” he assured.

“Is that a good thing?” Lance asked, raising a questioning brow at the other man. Shiro didn’t answer that, clearing his throat as he organized himself before motioning that he was ready to leave. Lance looked to his daughter, asking if she needed the bathroom before they left. The dark-haired girl pursed her lips in thought, before shaking her head and climbed out of her seat; the two men followed suit, Lance taking his daughter’s hand as they all headed over to the restaurant doors to leave.

“You never really answered me, you know,” Lance persisted, giving the other a curious grin. Shiro just smiled sheepishly, reaching a hand to scratch the side of his head.

“Ah, let’s just say I don’t tend to – linger on my lunch break…” he replied. He could see Lance’s eyes narrow a little, giving him a scrutinizing look.

“Uh-huh, how long do you usually spend on lunch?” the brunet asked, the tone going from curiosity to almost nagging.

“…ten minutes? Sometimes twenty depending on the day?” Shiro offered gingerly. The sputtering noises Lance made had Charlotte looking up at him, glancing between the two men with confusion at the conversation going on.

“Ten minutes?! What the heck do you even eat in _ten minutes_?!”

“Er, I usually grab something small from the bakery near the company,” Shiro shrugged. “It’s enough to get me through the day until dinner!” he quickly adds, seeing the exasperated expression on Lance’s face, the brunet letting out a small groan as he ran his hand down the side of his face.

“Oh my god… Okay yeah, no dude – it’s no wonder you got sick! Okay, you’re having lunch with us from now on; at least this way I know you’ll get _something_ decent in you,” Lance rambled, waving his free hand in the air.

“Does this mean we can see Mister Shiro again soon?” Charlotte asked excitedly, tugging on Lance’s arm. The question seemed to snap Lance out of whatever paternal phase he had entered, blinking a few times at the girl before it registered to him what he just said. A deep red coloured his cheeks, turning to face Shiro with wide eyes as he slapped his free hand over his mouth.

“Oh _crow_! I didn’t – I’m so sorry, I just, I mean… Fu–!” he stopped himself from cursing, letting out a small strangled noise instead. The blush on the brunet’s face darkened even more at the sudden sound of unbridled laughter.

Shiro had stood stumped for a moment at Lance’s words, shocked silent as he listened to the other rave on about getting him a proper meal. He couldn’t help it; the moment Lance had realised what he had said and started flustering, Shiro laughed. He knew he was probably being rude, but he couldn’t stop, all his attempts to get himself under control just caused him to wheeze and cough, making him laugh even more. He knew his eating habits were pretty horrendous, even on his best days, and although a few of his coworkers had given him pointed stares in the first few weeks, no one ever really commented about it.

“I – I’m s-sorry… I – sorry…” Shiro managed out in between gasps, trying to steady his breathing as he calms down his laughter. Lance is staring down at the concrete ground, groaning in embarrassment as he buries his face in his hand. Charlotte just stands there patiently, rolling her eyes at the two men as they settled whatever it is they’ve gotten themselves into; adults were really weird sometimes. After a few minutes, Shiro managed to slow down his laughs to a small chuckle, clearing his throat a few times as he tried to put on a straight face; he was failing miserably as he turned his attention back to Lance.

“I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to laugh so hard,” he apologised, clearing his throat again to stop the threat of another chuckle. Once he was sure he could speak again without having a fit, he gave Lance a cautionary tap on the shoulder to get the man’s attention, dark blue eyes peering through slender fingers.

“Again, I’m sorry for laughing, and – I’d like to meet up with you and Charlotte again in the near future, if that’s okay with you?” he asked tentatively. The red from Lance’s cheeks slowly faded, watching the brunet take in a deep breath before he heaved out a soft sigh, a shy smile appearing across his face.

“I – would like that; Lottie would too,” Lance replied, briefly swinging his daughter’s hand. Charlotte didn’t even seem to care that her father used her nickname, nodding her head vigorously as she rocked excitedly on the spot. Both men smiled at the enthusiasm from the little girl, Shiro taking the tiny hand that was held out to him, promising to meet up again soon. Before they parted ways, Lance apologised once more for going all “nagging parent” on him, while Shiro in turn apologised for laughing so hard. He stood still for a moment as watched the father and daughter pair head off for home, seeing them nudging and poking at each other, but he could tell it was filled with warmth and love.

He wasn’t sure why he lingered for as long as he did, watching the pair till they disappeared with the throng of people going about their casual day. Finally, Shiro turned in the opposite direction and started his walk back to the company, a smile plastered on his face as he strolled through the crowds. He was still smiling when he returned to the office, earning a few bemused looks from his coworkers as he sat down at his desk; he didn’t even notice as he plopped down into the rolling chair, turning his computer back on to resume the layout he had been working on before heading out for lunch.

While he waited for the machine to start up, his thoughts started to wander away from him for a moment; he could feel the bubbling threat of another laugh in his chest, quickly pushing the urge back down. Shiro just couldn’t figure Lance out – one moment he was all mother-hen on him, and lecturing him on proper meals and then the next, he was a complete floundering mess, red-faced and embarrassed by his own actions. Shiro leaned back in his chair, feeling the smile on his face stretch wider; even if he couldn’t figure out how Lance thought, he knew one thing for certain – Lance was a kind soul. The type of person who would fuss over the people he cared about, even extending that fussiness to complete strangers almost without second thought.

The tell-tale jingle from the computer login page snapped Shiro from his thoughts, straightening up his posture, typing in his username and password to bring up his work. While he waited for the programs to load up with his documents, he let his thoughts linger on the single father for a little longer; was tomorrow too soon to meet up again? Then again, from the sounds of Lance’s mindless ranting, he wanted it to be a daily thing, so showing up tomorrow for lunch wouldn’t be too farfetched, right? Of course Lance had said that without really thinking, so maybe Shiro should save him from the embarrassment he’d likely feel from that. He sat in a daze for a few minutes before noticing that his documents had finished loading, shaking the thoughts from his head as he set his focus to work. He’d figured out a decision later once he was finished for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay this turned out longer than I thought... also Shiro is horrible at taking care of himself most of the time, oops...


End file.
